Microsoft Exec Resigns After Insulting Customers On Twitter

A creative director at Microsoft
has been resigned after igniting a flame war on Twitter
and beyond over the strategic future of the company's forthcoming
Xbox gaming
console.

After a week of controversy,
GameInformer reports that Adam Orth has now voluntarily
resigned from the company, which had been forced to apologise for
his comments and indiscreet references to the secretive new Xbox
project.

The next Xbox will be unveiled on 21 May, rumours say, and will
behave more like a
cable TV box than a classic games console, building on
Microsoft's relationships with cable TV providers.

Orth has been working as a creative director at Microsoft Studios
on a game - so far unrevealed - since February 2012. But he
triggered a colossal online debate after he was involved in an
sarcastic exchange with a friend about the benefits of being
connected that was seized on and, arguably, misinterpreted by
games fans, spiralling into lengthy discussions on fan sites
including NeoGaf.

Orth appeared to confirm a rumour that the next Xbox will require
an always-on internet connection. But games fans who have hit
problems with games requiring persistent connections - most
recently including SimCity and Diablo 3 - were concerned about
the requirement. Internet connectivity varies enormously over the
US, and some parents have also expressed worries that an
always-on connection would break broadband caps without their
knowledge.

Microsoft issued a tersely-worded statement about the incident
but did not reference the console.

"We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee
on Twitter yesterday," said the company.

"This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his
personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we
take to our products or how we would communicate directly with
our loyal consumers. We are very sorry if this offended anyone,
however we have not made any announcements about our product
roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter."